MUMBAI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Inside the blacked-out Taj Mahal Palace Hotel , hallways were littered with bloodied bodies .

A commando in disguise give details of what went down in the Taj hotel when commandos went in .

Terrorists were still holding 200 people 33 hours after the assault began .

Knowing next to nothing about what they might encounter in the dark recesses of the hotel , Indian Army commandos decided to go back in -- and were met by terrorists firing mercilessly , throwing grenades and continuously switching positions .

The sound of gunfire and explosions reverberated throughout the hotel 's atrium , making it impossible to pinpoint the origin of the shots .

Through it all , the commandos walked down pitch-black halls , trying to navigate the damaged hotel without knowing the layout .

A commando spokesman , his face and hair swathed in a black scarf and wearing dark glasses to hide his identity , revealed these details of the mission inside the Taj at a news conference Friday .

At 6:30 a.m. Friday , the battle at the Taj came to a head with a final firefight at the room holding the 200 hostages , he said . Watch what it was like inside the hotel for commandos ''

When the gunfire stopped , commandos -- known as the Black Cats -- entered the room and freed all 200 hostages .

Their difficulties had been apparent from the beginning , he said .

`` We did not know the layout of the hotel , '' the commando told reporters . `` There was one person on the hotel staff who was helping to guide us around . ''

They entered the hotel for the first time essentially blind to what was ahead . They had no idea what kind of people they would encounter , what kind of weapons might be pointed at them , and whether they might be blown up by explosives . Learn more about the Taj 's past and future ''

`` Then we heard gunshots on the second floor and we rushed toward the fired shots , '' he said . `` While taking cover we found that there were 30 to 50 bodies lying dead . At that point we also came under fire . The moment they saw us , they hurled grenades . ''

When the shots stopped , the commandos moved toward the source of the gunfire . See the first photos from inside the Taj Mahal hotel ''

`` At that time , they vanished ... they had gone elsewhere , '' the commando said .

The attackers had a clear advantage , commandos said , because it was apparent from their movements they knew the hotel 's layout .

Some tourists rescued from the hotel said the building 's large dome and a massive atrium made the sounds of gunfire and explosions reverberate endlessly . It was impossible to pinpoint where the shooters were .

Because of the darkness , commandos could not tell how many terrorists were there -- were there many , or only a few who continued to change positions ?

At one point , commandos believed some of the terrorists were hiding on the eighth floor . As the commandos approached one of the rooms , attackers opened fire at them and said all the people in the room were dead .

`` We fired at them and they fired at us , but because the room was absolutely dark and we had just gotten -LSB- inside -RSB- it made it difficult for us , '' the commando said . Watch commandos talk about fighting the attackers ''

During the fight , two commandos were shot . They decided to flush out the terrorists by blocking entry and exit routes . But the attackers knew all the doors , he said .

When they made it inside the room , the terrorists had disappeared again .

Inside that room , commandos found AK-47 ammunition rounds , including seven magazines fully loaded , and 400 other rounds for other weapons . They found grenades , credit cards , U.S. notes , foreign money and bags of dried fruit , which they believed helped sustain the attackers during the siege .

During the three-day assault , the attackers fired indiscriminately . But the commandos were forced to use caution .

`` Let me tell you one thing , '' the commando said . `` Within the first exchanges of fire , we could have got those terrorists -- but there was so many hotel guests -- there were bodies all over and blood all over . And we were trying to avoid the causalities of civilians . We had to be more careful in our fighting . ''

In trying to rescue hostages and trapped civilians , commandos had to convince guests they were there to help , not terrorists trying to trick them , Indian Army Lt. Gen. Noble Thamburaj said .

`` There are a number of rooms that are locked from inside , '' he told reporters . `` It is possible that some of the hotel guests have locked themselves in and for their own security and safety . Even though we have identified ourselves they are not opening the doors . ''

The overall operation may have been made more difficult because of a late start , CNN sister station CNN-IBN reported .

CNN-IBN said that attacks at the Taj Mahal Hotel were well under way at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday , but unnamed sources said the commandos were not given the go-ahead to take part in the rescue until midnight .

Those sources told CNN-IBN said that once the commandos got the go-ahead , it took nearly three hours for them to leave for Mumbai from their undisclosed location .

Once they arrived , the sources said , commandos had no precise maps of the hotel layout or its access points .

While local police and other officers were at the scene , the sources said , the commandos and army special force units are the only ones equipped and trained to rescue hostages .

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Disguised commando tells reporters rescuers entered unknown layout in the dark

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Commandos had to avoid hurting civilians , convince them they were not terrorists

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Attackers knew layout well , moved around frequently , commando says

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33 hours after siege , commandos rescued 200 people from Taj Mahal Hotel